NGC grading walkthrough

[azda 973]

Someone here mentioned that PCGS and NGC only use one grader for each submission, not according to this walkthrough, they use 3. Anyway, as much as i'm getting from the video is that it's based on opinion and no exact science behind a grade, so if anyone wants to send me $30 and their coin i'll happily give you a grade, i'll get the wife to give me a 2nd opinion before i send it back 

 

 

[jaggy 528]

From the NGC website:

"Grading is a team effort, with at least two professional numismatists examining every coin. To maintain impartiality, NGC's coin graders cannot be involved in the commercial buying and selling of coins. Each coin is examined by one NGC coin grader at a time, who enters the coin grade into the system."

https://www.ngccoin.com/coin-grading/grading-process/ngc-grading-process.aspx

[VickySilver 775]

Yet I have caught them out on some coins that have designations on their own site, and they (plural supposedly) were not able to discriminate. Shameful really, and this after I pointed it out to them with pictures and citations. 

[jaggy 528]

20 minutes ago, VickySilver said:

Yet I have caught them out on some coins that have designations on their own site, and they (plural supposedly) were not able to discriminate. Shameful really, and this after I pointed it out to them with pictures and citations. 

The TPGs certainly make the odd mistake. I have picked up two, both to my advantage, where coins were either misattributed (a 6d attributed as a shilling) or important varieties missed (R over V in Victoria in the first, I over S in Honi in the second). 

The first one was a PCGS coin, I broke it out of the slab and sent it into NGC who got the attribution correct (it helped that I gave details in the submission).

Once again, buy the coin and not the slab and you can sometimes pick up on these mistakes and get the coin at a good price.

That said, auction houses make mistakes too. I have seen several at both DNW and Heritage. If I am not interested in the coin I tell them. Otherwise ......

[VickySilver 775]

I think the problem with this one is that even AFTER I had carefully designated the coins with references, they then made the error. I then photoed their own valuation tables with their own designations and THEN photoed each type of coin from actual examples and carefully explained in simple Queen's English what the concern was, and then they ignored all of that and sent it back to me in original slabs AND CHARGED ME FOR THE EFFORT.

 

In basketball, that would draw a double technical foul with discharge from the game!

[1949threepence 3,366]

Very interesting and insightful video. 

[Peter 615]

Excellent video Dave cheers bud.

We must remember that graders ARE NOT experts on ALL coins.The diversification on this forum brings the knowledge bank together.IMO I wouldn't use their services as they appear to be a "jack of all trades" and masters of nothing.

[ozjohn 552]

Most informative however I was less than impressed on how the coins were handled by the graders. Perhaps not so much of an issue for gold but for silver and then then bronze  I could see fingerprints and smudges on encapsulated coins developing overtime. I also hope they do not drop coins although there was a soft mat in front of the grader coins have been known to roll when dropped.

[azda 973]

On 2/9/2017 at 0:22 AM, ozjohn said:

Most informative however I was less than impressed on how the coins were handled by the graders. Perhaps not so much of an issue for gold but for silver and then then bronze  I could see fingerprints and smudges on encapsulated coins developing overtime. I also hope they do not drop coins although there was a soft mat in front of the grader coins have been known to roll when dropped.

I noticed that also, but have also seen videos from PCGS who also handle them without gloves which really bloody irritates me, they should handle all these coins with gloves and especially so proofs.

 

I uploaded the video because someone mentioned on here the reason LCGS were so good was because they have 3 graders for each coins, so now we know that NGC also have the same amount of graders, although they certainly took about 90 seconds to look over and submit the grade which i could also do if you sent me $30 

[ozjohn 552]

An example of the product of NGC's exhaustive procedures. The whole concept of TPG is  consistency which so far has not been achieved.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Great-Britain-George-V-Florin-1915-KM817-MS63-NGC/192366387787?hash=item2cc9ee224b:g:UC4AAOSwTQtaDdod

[VickySilver 775]

Please see my second post above wherein I tried politely to point out how bad they can be. This is not to say they are always, but that particular performance was borderline shameful. These are coins of a series that I have more than some knowledge of, but then also took pictures FROM THEIR OWN SITE and then also cited my sources, etc.

I also gave up on PCGS with variety designations when they repeatedly blew the call on an 1866 with fourth head when I submitted the FOUR major types that are designated in Spink including Maundy - they whiffed and missed all four, and kept sending me coins back in slabs until I finally gave up.

I don't care if they have 59 graders if they are that ignorant. Although I do appreciate their efforts ordinarily, they possibly ought to consider the possibility of fallibility.

[azda 973]

Funnily enough I had a few coins in at PCGS Paris this week, a couple of silver proofs and a couple of gold coins.

The proofs came back on Wednesday as MS and 1 of my MS coins has come back as a proof. Doesn’t fill you with much confidence 

[jaggy 528]

I had ten coins back from NGC this week. 

I think they got eight of them right, under-graded one by a couple of points and over-graded one by a couple of points. It isn't an exact science but, in my experience, they get the vast majority of the grading about right.

We have a tendency to highlight where they screw up .... and it does happen. But we don't highlight when we agree with the grading.

Edited November 19, 2017 by jaggy

[VickySilver 775]

True, but nice if they dump the arrogance and possibly consider listening when someone  is sharing (i.e. willing to teach) with them.